The Fugitive from Corinth
The Fugitive from Corinth is the tenth book in Caroline Lawrence's The Roman Mysteries. It was published by Orion Books. Overview 80 AD Flavia Gemina's world is ripped apart when someone attempts to murder her father. When she finds out that it was her tutor, Aristo, who stabbed him, she is shocked. As Flavia and her friends chase Aristo across Greece, they are plagued with questions. Why did Aristo do it? Where is he going? And are they the only ones hunting him down? Plot Synopsis Flavia and her friends have been travelling the Greek islands with other passengers aboard Lupus's ship, the Delphina, captained by Flavia's father, Marcus. They have rescued kidnapped children in the previous novel and now they relax for a while in her tutor Aristo's home city of Corinth. But on the night before their departure, Helen, a servant girl, witnesses Aristo stab Marcus in bed. The four detectives glimpse their tutor kneeling over Marcus' body, a blood-dripping knife in hand, before he runs off into the night. Feverish and suffering from amnesia, Marcus falls into a deep coma. Doctor Mordecai, Jonathan's father, is unsure whether Marcus will survive. Fuelled by anger and grief, Flavia persuades her friends and the sailor Atticus, to set off with her to catch the near-murderer. They follow the directions from reported sightings of Aristo. On the way, they they save a young beggar boy, Nikos, who is able to provide information about Aristo's childhood, as Nikos used to beg nearby his house. He reveals that Aristo has a younger brother, Dion, who has always been overlooked, as he is the less talented, handsome and good-natured of the two. The friends take Nikos with them as they journey on. Everyone they ask about Aristo describes him in two different ways, some saying they have seen a bronze-haired fugitive with a blood-stained cloak and a paranoid look, others talking of a bronze-haired man with a clean cloak and sad eyes. The detectives realise that they must be chasing two men. They question Nikos about it, who suggests that Aristo's brother Dion may be trying to catch him as well. Not long thereafter, they find out that Nikos is actually a girl named Megara, who grew up next to Aristo's house in Corinth and is in love with Dion. She accuses Nubia of being in love with Aristo, which she acknowledges. Flavia is angry and confused, unable to comprehend how her friend could love the almost-murderer of her father. Nubia simply states that she believes Aristo to be innocent. After asking a Pythia's advice about how to catch Aristo, which Flavia believes to be useless, Lupus sneaks into the temple to ask which temple his mother is in but is surprised to find out that the Pythia is his mother. She reveals that she has dedicated her life to the service of the gods. With a heavy heart, Lupus decides to leave her to help his friends. Away for the others for a moment, Nubia discovers Aristo, who tells her that he is innocent, which she believes. Before he dashes off again, she assures him that she has always known he was not guilty. Nubia returns to her friends, not revealing her meeting with the fugitive. Flavia and her friends arrive in Athens and chase Aristo up the Acropolis, where they lose him. They meet a beggar boy called Socrates and Flavia discovers Nubia is trying to stop them from catching Aristo and Megara is trying to help Dion. Jonathan storms off, Atticus is nowhere to be seen, and the two fugitives descend into the Cave of The Kindly Ones (Furies). Nubia and Flavia follow and see that the two men are indeed Dion and Aristo. Then Flavia accidentally locks the four of them in the cave, which becomes air-tight. As the four start to suffocate, Flavia and Nubia forgive each other and Nubia decides to tell Aristo her feelings towards him. She is interrupted, however, when Jonathan, Lupus and a priest unlock the door. Inside the cave, Dion had explained that he was the one who had stabbed Flavia's father; he thought that it was Aristo in the bed, who he intended to kill out of jealousy. Aristo is able to forgive Dion and eventually Flavia does as well. They go back to Corinth to find that her father is still in a coma. Flavia has already asked the Pythia how to wake him up but she does not understand and ends up crying over his body. He wakes up, cured of his amnesia, and they realise that the Pythia's prophecy had come true. Category:Books Category:Plot